A recent analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) records conducted between January 2025 and January 2026 indicates a significant decline in the enforcement of environmental laws against major polluters during the Trump administration. The analysis highlights a concerning trend where major companies within the oil, gas, coal, and chemical sectors, typically identified as major polluters, have faced minimal legal action. According to the data, the EPA processed only one Clean Air Act consent decree as opposed to 26 in the first year of Trump's initial term and 22 in the first year of President Biden's administration.

The findings also reveal that the enforcement of Superfund laws, which are critical for the cleanup of the nation’s most polluted sites, has sharply decreased. The agency filed just seven consent decrees related to Superfund laws, a significant drop from 31 filings during the initial Trump administration. Furthermore, compliance actions related to the Clean Water Act have seen a profound decline as well, reducing from a peak of 18 enforcement actions in Biden’s first year to only four in the previous year analyzed.

This dearth of enforcement actions raises alarm bells about the government's commitment to protecting the environment and public health. The implications of such lax enforcement could mean increased pollution levels, deterioration of public health, and a lack of accountability for corporations that violate environmental laws. With environmental policies being significantly relaxed, there could be long-term consequences that undermine progress achieved in environmental protection over the years.